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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. chair — a leader
  3. net — in sport
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. wax — to grow
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. net — after costs
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. mate — a friend
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. branch — a division
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — to breed
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. stand — to bear
  24. net — for catching

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com